Archives for November 2010

Well as most companies are going Green we are going Blue.

At Coastal Turf we pride ourselves on our Queensland Blue Couch. It’s beautiful soft and lush. It’s easy to take care off and won’t scare when mowed. Kids love to run and fall on this turf grass because it gives a little bit of bounce. So in honor of the Blue Couch Coastal Turf has got new Blue Shirts!

Now I was gonna take a photo of myself in the shirt but thought that was a little vain. Look I have my own Blog with my Picture on it Nanananana. So instead i have taken a picture of an unworn shirt so that when one of us turns up at your house to give you a Free measure and quote or drops of your turf or comes to install your turf, you know who we are.

See ya
Sare

Well the best part of having a Family business according to my children, is that even when Mum is at work you can still have your Birthday party. Well a family one anyway.

My eldest Son Riley recently turned 8 and we had a cake and party food with Grandma and Poppa at work. Riley really enjoys his family birthday parties because he can have all the attention on him at home and Work. I think Poppa really likes it because he can come to the kids birthdays.

John/Poppa, Grandma, Hollie Riley and Marcus blowing out the candles

I think that is one of the many things that bonds Coastal Turf is that we can play and work together even though we are all very different. And  think that comes through in our grasses. We currently have 12 different varieties that each grow and thrive differently. For instance, our Couches love sun and being walked on, and Buffalo’s love the cool shade and a cool drink. Almost like my kids; Hollie is very Social, Marcus would live outside if we let him- our couches; and Riley loves the cool shade and a bit of a relax – our Buffalo.

Well off to eat more cake

Sare

Well isn’t this just what Summer is all about. Being out in the back or front yard enjoying the sun and having a bit of family fun. And Grass really does make all the difference. Letting your children run bare foot through the yard is one of those Australian Family Traditions.

On the weekend we had a wonderful family fun with the good all Slip and Slide. If we didn’t have the soft grass underfoot there is no way we could have enjoyed the afternoon sun with all its splendor and then allowed the kids back inside after. The mud would have been terrible. And if we had weedy green horrible prickles the kids wouldn’t have wanted to slide.

No the Aussie backyard or front yard where ever your kids play Needs green soft grass. Well in a turf farmers opinion anyway – But i think that the kids in the neighborhood would agree…especially mine. Look at those Turf kids slide, and their father as well.
Chat soon Sare

Here at Coastal Turf we have been trying the more natural approach to Turf growing by using Chicken manure for fertilization for years now, and then when friends of Dad’s said that their sheep manure was making their grass go off, Dad and the Sheep farmer became friends. (We didn’t end up using the sheep poo, as we were worried about weed contamination. But we are always on the lookout for the natural alternative).

So over the years of friendship, Dad has been going to the Murwillumbah Show to help at the Sheep shed. Having grown up on a sheep station, he was keen to lend a hand. Then this year my husband, who also grew up on a sheep station WAY out West (who says girls don’t marry their father) went and lent a hand shearing. Although this has little to do with turf farming, it has to do with the community spirit that the Coastal Turf family has. So maybe the question is What do Turf Farming Families do on their weekend off? – They go help out at the Murwillumbah show and shear sheep. Although I think they were extremely grateful when the real Shearer turn up.

Kids Loved it though

Unfortunately over the last few weeks I have been getting calls from some customers who have mowed their newly installed turf way too soon and nearly killed their newly installed lawns.

I can’t stress enough how important it is not to mow your lawn until at least a month after installation! I understand that with all the beautiful rain and then warm spring days the turf will be getting lovely and long, but under the ground the turf is still trying to establish it’s new root system.

When you first install the turf please don’t walk on it for at least 10 days. The roots are desperately trying to root themselves down into your soil, but if you move the turf slab around on top of the soil, the newly formed roots will break and splinter, making the establishment time longer and harder for the grass.

During this establishment period, the leaves are the only thing that is keeping the plant alive, so don’t cut off its food and water and energy supply by mowing it! Please give the little plant a chance. On the back on your invoice is an easy installation guide and a quick info about establishing your turf. Give it a quick read when you are putting down the turf…

And please don’t spray your grass during this establishment period! Only organic fertilizer should be used to promote growth at this time. If you think a nasty bug or fungus has gotten into your lawn, give us a call for a bit of Turf Farmer advice.

Thanks
Sare

Well as good as the rain is for our lawns, it also brings about the danger of Fungus’ spreading throughout our lawns. The wet weather and then hot humid conditions can unfortunetly cause such fungus’ as
Dollar spot -growths on the leaves of the grass that are golden brown – like a dollar coin, but bout the size of a 20c piece
Spring Die Back – a black sooty fungus that appears someone has thrown ash all over your lawn
Fairy Ring – as cute as this name sounds it is not so lovely, they are small toad stole style growths around 2mm in diameter

All these fungus’ have the potential to kill your lawn. So please if you start to see any signs of these fungus’ spray your lawn with the related funguside after a dry day in the cool of the evening.

If you need any help with this give us a call, and we’ll help you out

Thanks Sare

Didn’t want to put pictures on the website of dying grass, looks bad on a Turf Farm site.

Well November is already here and Christmas parties are looming. My Husband and I worked out that there is not a weekend between now and Christmas that we aren’t busy doing something. And that got me thinking about people wanting lawns for Christmas.

Firstly this is a great Christmas present! A whole new lawn for someone would definetly brighten ones Christmas…

Then If you are having a Christmas party or even Christmas at your house, don’t forget that your lawn needs to be down for at least 10 days before you can walk on it, and 1 month before you can mow it. So now is the time to install those new lawns ready in time for the Christmas Party Season.

Well that Spring rain is just not going away is it? I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am well and truely over the rain. The boys from the farm are coming into the office all wet and muddy after a big cut. But all still in good spirits. I guess that little boy mentality to go play in the mud and have fun never really leaves them. Maybe that’s what the makings of a good turf farmer is; Enjoying the mud.

My Husband just called to stay that as he is installing someones new lawn the rain is just starting to come over, and it’s not the gentle sprinkling type; it’s the hard deep soaking rain. So I sent him a lovely message that I tell a lot of people on the phone. Rain is terrible for the installers, but Great for the grass.

We here on the farm are now planting new paddocks of buffalo to keep up with your renewed love of Buffalo grass, and it will be ready, with the help of all this rain just in time for you to install just before Christmas. So in this wet weather, that is miserable to some, but loved by the Turf Farmer, I sign off and hope to hear from you soon.